Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Views from Marseille

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Notre Dame de la Garde is the cathedral sitting above Marseille and protecting it with a gigantic statue of the Virgin Mary. Views of the c...

Aix-en-Provence: Faces, Figures, and Fountains

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Provence: Lourmarin

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Lourmarin is a small town in Provence northeast of Marseille and Aix. It has its own chateau (above and below) and is said to be one of the...

Provence: Arles

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In September, the Roman Amphitheater in Arles, seen above, is used for bull fighting. Saint Trophime Cloister was built in the early Middle ...

Chamonix, Mont Blanc, and the Tour

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Mont Blanc, seen above from Chamonix, is the highest mountain of Europe at 4870 meters or 16400 feet. It is part of a massif or block of ro...

Day 1: Les Houches - Auberge du Truc (Les Contamines°

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The bridge above crosses the river draining the Glacier de Bionassay. Glacial landscapes often have perched valleys and steep slopes. The Co...
Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Day 2: Auberge du Truc-Les Contamines-Refuge du Bonhomme

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The Tour de Mont Blanc path from the town of Les Contamines runs along an old Roman road. Amazing to walk along stone pavers laid 2,000 yea...

Day 3, part a: Refuge du Bonhomme to Ref. des Mottets

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It was very cold this morning starting out above 2400m. We were with new hiking buddies Kirsten and Benedikte. Cyane on the high point with ...

Day 3, part b: Refuge des Mottets to Refugio Elisabetta

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German mountain bikers on the trail of the Tour de Mt Blanc at the Ref des Mottets, above. The trail climbs to the Col de la Seigne and cros...

Day 4: Refugio Elisabetta to Maison Vielle of Courmayeur

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Above, looking south up the Italian Val Veni toward the Col de la Seigne. The Glacier du Miage has partially blocked the valley with its mor...